Fish stringer and carrier

ABSTRACT

A flexible, braided cord is attached at one end to the central portion of a needle means and at its opposite end to a generally T-shaped hand grippable body. The body is formed, in an operable position, with a generally horizontal, upwardly opening slot for removably receiving the needle means and an intersecting, generally vertical slot for removably receiving the adjacent, downwardly extending portion of the cord.

United States Patent [191 Anderson FISH STRINGER AND CARRIER [76] Inventor: Denver R. Anderson, 1739 Wilson Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43207 22 Filed: Aug. 9, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 386,998

[52] US. Cl 224/7 E, 224/45 C [51] Int. Cl. A45f 3/00 [58] Field of Search 224/7 D, 7 E, 7 R, 7 A,

224/7 B, 45 AA, 45 T, 45 C; 403/353 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,455,766 12/1948 Harvey 224/7 E 2,518,541 8/1950 Griffin et a1 224/7 E 2,760,700 8/1956 Lien 224/7 E [45] Dec. 17, 1974 Mercer 224/7 E Meyer 403/353 Primary ExaminerRobert .1. Spar Assistant Examiner-Ross Weaver 5 7 ABSTRACT A flexible, braided cord is attached at one end to the central portion of a needle means and at its opposite end to a generally T-shaped hand grippable body. The body is formed, in an operable position, with a generally horizontal, upwardly opening slot for removably receiving the needle means and an intersecting, generally vertical slot for removably receiving the adjacent, downwardly extending portion of the cord.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENTEL sac 1 71914 SHEEI 10F 3 FISH STRINGER AND CARRIER BACKGROUND This invention relates generally to a fish stringer and more particularly relates to an improved combination fish stringer and convenient fish carrier characterized by its ability to permit fish to be properly attached to the stringer with a minimum of effort and manipulation and further characterized by an improved balance, safety and comfort for, carrying fish.

The most common and conventional fish stringer comprises a cord having a needle means connected at one end and a small metallic ring connected at its opposite end. The-needle means is conveniently threaded through the natural passage between the gills and mouth of a fish. After the first fish is threaded onto the stringer the needle means is then threaded through the ring and tied to'a boat or impaled in the ground. Subsequent fish are attached by merely again threading the needle through the gills and mouth of subsequent fish.

Other inventors have improved upon the popularly conventional stringer by adding handles of various types. With some such improved stringers, the needle is typically inserted into a bore formed in the end of the handle. Typical of such improvements are the disclosures of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,518,54l; 878,626; and 2,455,166.

Yet another typical improvement includes a handle having the opposite ends of the stringer cord tied to the opposite'ends of the handle. Such a handle device is represented by the U.S. Pat. No. to Haddock 3,137,421.

These prior art devicesstill suffer certain disadvantages. For example, with many if the hande is tilted or inclined the needle means may slip from the carrying handle. Furthermore, such prior artstringer handle devices are often difficult to manipulate into secure attachment to a fish especially for a fisherman having a Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved fish stringer and carrying device.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device having improved handling and manipulating characteristics for easing the operation of stringing the fish onto the stringer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fish stringer and carrying device having improved comfort and carrying qualities while eliminating the possibility of accidental disassembly or detachment of one portion of the stringer and carrying device from. another position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fish stringer and carrying device having anability to be readily adjusted to accommodate various quantities of fish flopping around in his hand, a boat or otherwise in his possession when quick action is important to avoid loss of the fish. Many of these prior art stringer devices also suffer from the disadvantage that the cord portion of the stringer can not be effectively lengthened or shortened to accommodate various quantities of fish. Often, such prior art devices are also either unbalanced or otherwise uncomfortable for use in carrying the fish from the fishing site to a persons home.

There is therefore a need for a fish stringer and carrier which can be conveniently attached to a boat or to the body of a wading fisherman, which can be very simply and quickly manipulated for stringing of fish and yet which is easily adjusted to accommodate various quantities of fish and is convenient, safe and comfortable for use in carrying the fish.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a flexible cord means having a needle means attached to one end of the cord means and a hand grippable body attached to the cord means and spaced from the needle means. The body is formed in an operable position with a generally horizontal, upwardly opening slot for removably receiving the needle means and a generally vertical slot intersecting the horizontal slot for removably receiving a portion of the cord.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved fish stringer and carrying device which may be easily, safely and quickly fastened to a boat or to the clothing of a fisherman.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved fish stringer and carrying device which safely encloses the needle means to prevent injury.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a fish stringer and carrying device with which the cord may be very conveniently wound on the handle for storage without interfering with other objects in the fishermans tacklebox.

Further objects and features ofthe invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a view inperspeetive illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an operable fish carrying position.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, illustrating the winding adjustment of the cord length.

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective further illustrating the adjustable attachment of the cord means to the hand grippable body.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the'i nvention illustrated inthe drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includesall technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the FIGURES, it can be seen that the preferred embodiment of the invention has a flexible, cord means 10 which, for example, may be braided nylon cord commonly used for fish stringers. A hollow needle means 12 is'attached to one end of the cord. The needle means 12 is tubular approximately half way from its pointed end 14 while its rear half is open or slottedConsequently, during manufacture the cord 10 can be inserted and crimped in the hollow frontal portion of the needle means 12 so that it is effectively attached intermediate the opposite ends of the needle means 12.

The opposite end of the cord means 10 is threaded through a pair of vertically spaced holes 18 and 20 formed in a pair of integral ears 22 and 24 which extend rearwardly of a hand grippable body 26.

The preferred hand grippable body 26 is generally T-shaped and is molded from plastic although it could also be made of wood, metal or other suitable material. In its operable position it has a pair of oppositely extending horizontal arms 28 and 30 which for example might have a total length of inches. The body 26 also has a downwardly extending vertical arm 32 giving the body a total height of for example, 3 /2 inches. The thickness of the body 26 may for example be approximately seven-eighths of an inch.

The body is further formed in its operable position with a generally horizontal upwardly opening slot 34 having dimensions which are suitable to permit the slot to removably receive the needle means 12. A tight friction fit is not necessary.

A generally vertical slot 36 is also formed centrally of the body 26 and intersects the horizontal slot 34. The vertical slot 36 has dimensions to permit it to removably receive a portion of the cord and to permit the cord to be easily slipped into and out of the slot. The holes 18 and are formed on the side of the body 26 opposite the side inwhich the vertical slot 36 is formed.

Preferably, the relative length of the slot 34 and the needle means 12 are selected so that the needle means 12 is shorted than the slot 34 and will not extend out from the ends of the body 26. Consequently,.the needle is protectively retained safely within the body 26 so that it cannot injure any person or scratch or otherwise damage any property.

A fastener means 40 may advantageouslybe attached or tied to the extreme end of the cord means 10 opposite the needle means 12. The preferred illustrated fastener 40 is a conventional snap fastener which may be conveniently attached to the belt of the fisherman or to a boat. Other types of fasteners, such as another needle means, could alternatively be attached in place of the snap fastener 40. As another alternative, the cord means 10 could extend substantially further above the hand grippable body 26 so that it may be tied as desired to the clothing of a fisherman or to a boat.

Referring to FIG. 5, I have found it advantageous to provide a bar 50 having a pair of spaced openings 52 and 54. The cord means 10 is threaded first through the hole 20 in the ear 24 and thence through the openings 52 and 54 as illustrated and then finally through the hole 18 in the ear 22 to attachment to a fastener 40. By

threading the cord through the bar 50 intermediate theholes 18 and 20, a convenient means is provided for adjusting the length of cord extending from the hole 18 to the fastener 40.

The operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention begins with the removal of the fish stringer and carrier device from the tacklebox of the fisherman. It is first, it desired, conveniently attached by means of the snap fastener 40 to the boat, dock or the clothing of a fisherman.

Upon catching a fish the needle means 12 is passed through the gills and mouth of the fish in the conventional manner. The needle means 12 is retained in the hand while the fish is permitted to drop to the bottom of the looped cord means 10. The fisherman then positions the needle means 12 parallel to and horizontally The above insertion of the needle means 12 and the cord means 10 into the hand grippable body 26 is very easily accomplished by gripping the cord means 10 approximately 1 inch from the needle means 12 between the thumb and fingers. The needle is then simply dropped into the slot 34. The fishermans hand slips along and finally grips the entire cord several inches from the needle means and then pulls the needle means 12 snugly down within the slot with a downward pull.

When other fish are subsequently caught, the fisherman merely grasps the cord means 10 beneath the vertical slot 36 and pulls outwardly and upwardly to pull the needle means 12 from its slot 34. The fish is then strung onto the cord means 10 in a conventional manner. The needle and cord are then simply returned to their slots as described above.

It can be seen that there is therefore no need to untie the stringer at the needle means end and yet there is no opportunity for the needle to be pulled out of the body 26 by the fish or by the fisherman; A simple lifting action releases the needle means 12 for stringing the fish and a simple lowering and downward tug on the cord means '10 snugly and safely attaches the needle means in the body 26 without tying.

If the fisherman has had a lucky day, the fish can of course be carried with the needle means 12 merely dropped into the horizontal slot 34 to the position shown in FIG. .2. However, on a more normal day, fewer fish will be caught and it would be undesirable to have these few fish dangling at the bottom of a lengthy loop of cord. Consequently, the fisherman, after dropping the needle means I2 into the horizontal slot 34 as illustrated in FIG. 2 winds the portion of the cord extending from the bottom of the vertical slot 36 around and upwardly into the horizontal slot 34. The cord means 10 may then be threaded to pass downwardly again through the vertical slot 36 so that the cord means 10 has been effectively shortened by the length of the path from the bottom of the hand grippable body 26 around through the horizontal slot 34 and downwardly through the vertical slot 36.

Alternatively, if the cord means 10 is to be effectively shortened by a greater amount, the cord may first be passed through the entire length of the horizontal slot 34 downwardly and horizontally across the bottom of the downwardly extending arm 32 and again upwardly into the horizontal slot 34 and thence to and downwardly within thevertical slot 36. Clearly, the cord means 10 may be wound through this path as many times as desired and finally passed downwardly through the vertical slot 36 after the desired shortening has been accomplished. In all cases, however, as shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the cord meansl0 pass through the center of the hand grippable body 26 and therefore the entire weight of the fish is comfortably and conveniently supported between the fingers of the carrying hand as illustrated in FIG. 3.

After the fish are removed from the stringer and carrying means device, the device may be safely and conveniently stored-in a tacklebox by merely repeating this winding of the cord as illustrated in FIG. 3 until an insubstantial portion of the cord extends from the bottom of the hand grippable body 26. In this manner the cord is tightly wound around the body 26 so that it cannot unwind and cannot interfere with other objects in the fishermans tacklebox.

FIG. 3 illustrates a single loop of cord means through the hand grippable body 26 while FIG. 4 illustrates the cord means wound several times through the horizontal slot 34 before finally being returned downwardly through the vertical slot 36.

If it is desired to lengthen the portion of the cord means 10 extending above the'hand grippable body 26 to the snap fastener 40, then the portion 60 of the cord means 10 intermediate the openings 52 and 54 in the bar 50 is pulled in an outward loop by pulling the cord means from the end to be shortened. This makes a loop. Then the loop is removed by tightening the cord means pulling it toward the end to be lengthened.

It is to be understood that while the detailed drawings and specific examples given describe preferred embodiments of the invention, they are for the purposes of illustration only that the apparatus of the invention is not limited to the precise details and conditions disclosed and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined by the following claims.

' What is claimed is:

l. A fish stringer device comprising:

a. a flexible cord means;

b. a needle means attached to one end of said cord means intermediate the end of said needle means;

and

c. a hand grippable generally T-shaped body attached to said cord means at a substantially central portion of said body and spaced from said needle means, said body formed, in an operable position, by a pair oppositely extending horizontal arms and a downwardly extending vertical arm with a generally horizontal, upwardly opening elongated slot for removably receiving said needle means and a generally vertical slot intersecting said horizontal slot for 4. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein a I bar having a pair of spaced openings has said cord means threaded through said openings intermediate the holes of said body.

5. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein said fastener means is attached to said body by attachment to said cord means above said holes.

3 6. A stringer device according to claim 2 wherein the length of said needle means is less than the length of said horizontal slot.

7. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein a fastener means is attached to said cord means above said holes, the length of said needle means is less than the length of said horizontal slot and a lower edge of said oppositely extending arms are smoothly curved for comfortably seating against human fingers. 

1. A fish stringer device comprising: a. a flexible cord means; b. a needle means attached to one end of said cord means intermediate the end of said needle means; and c. a hand grippable generally T-shaped body attached to said cord means at a substantially central portion of said body and spaced from said needle means, said body formed, in an operable position, by a pair oppositely extending horizontal arms and a downwardly extending vertical arm with a generally horizontal, upwardly opening elongated slot for removably receiving said needle means and a generally vertical slot intersecting said horizontal slot for removably receiving a portion of said cord.
 2. A stringer device according to claim 1 wherein a fastener means is attached to a substantially central portion of said body for removably attaching said fish stringer device to another object.
 3. A stringer device according to claim 2 wherein a pair of vertically spaced, substantially coaxial holes are formed on the side of said body opposite the side into which said vertical slot is formed and wherein said cord means extends through said holes.
 4. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein a bar having a pair of spaced openings has said cord means threaded through said openings intermediate the holes of said body.
 5. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein said fastener means is attached to said body by attachment to said cord means above said holes.
 6. A stringer device according to claim 2 wherein the length of said needle means is less than the length of said horizontal slot.
 7. A stringer device according to claim 3 wherein a fastener means is attached to said cord means above said holes, the length of said needle means is less than the length of said horizontal slot and a lower edge of said oppositely extending arms are smoothly curved for comfortably seating against human fingers. 